Printing-machine.



R. A. FREEMAN PRINTING MACHiNE. APPLICATION FILED MAY 13. 1913.

SSHEE'LS-SHBET I.

' Patented Jan. 8,1918

@EDDDP R. A. FREEMAN.

PRINTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 13, I913,

1,252,422, Y Patented ian. 8, 1918.

3 SHEBTS-SHEET 2.

R. A. FREEMAN.

PRINTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 13,- I913.

ATTORNEY 'Patented Jan, 8, 1918.

3 SHEETSSHEET 3 9 W wWw thereof.

UNITED s'ra'rns PATENT FMQE.

RUFUS A. FREEMAN, OF FLUSHING, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE AUTOPRESS COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

' v PRINTING-MACHINE.

Application filed May 13, 1913. Serial No. 767,262.

To all whomz't may concern:

Be it known that I, RUFUS A. FREEMAN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Flushing, in the county of Queens and State of New York, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Printing-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates particularly to devices for the accurate placing of sheets on sheet carriers, especially the impression cylinders of printing machines, and particularly in that type of printing machine in which the impression cylinder both reciprocates and rotates. As is Well know-n in the art, it is necessary, in order to secure register, that successive sheets shall' be taken by the sheet-taking means on the sheet carriers of printing machines, so that each sheet will fall exactly in the same place as its predecessor. In machines moving at high speeds, and particularly in machines in which the cylinder has both a rotary and reciprocating motion, this has been extremely difficult to attain, and it is one of the objects of my present invention to provide mechanism by which this may be accomplished.

With these and other objects in View, my invention consists of novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts as will be more fully described and pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a portion of a side sectional elevation of one form of printing machine which I have selected for purposes of illustration, showing my novel sheet taking and sheet aging mechanism in their positions just beiore the sheet is taken.

Fig. 2 represents a plan view of a portion of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 represents a side elevation of a portion of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows 33 of Fig. 2.

Figs. 4:, 5, and 6 represent portions of my novel sheet taking and sheet gaging mechanisms, showing the successive positions tration. This form bed 10 carries racks 11 Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J an. 8, 1918.

which engage with gears 12 on the ends of an impression cylinder 13. By suitable gearing, not shown but well-known to those skilled in the art, the reciprocation of the bed 10 causes the cylinder 13 to rotate, and at the same time, reciprocate in .the guide-- ways 14 on the side frames 15 of the machine. 16 is a sheet feed board of the usual type provided, in the form of press which I have illustrated, with continuously running tapes 17 to carry sheets-successively toward sheet gages 18, which are attached to a shaft 19, and are normally held across the plane of a sheet on the feed board 16 by a spring 20, acting against a stop, all in the usual manner. To the end of the shaft 19 is attached a lever 21 provided with an ear 22 carrying an adjusting screw 23. This adjusting screw 23 abuts against a lever 24 pivotally mounted on the shaft 19 andarranged to contact with the screw 23 when the lever 24 is moved to the left of Fig. 3. A cam fork 25 is attached to the lever 21 and carries a cam roll '26 running on a cam 27 mounted on a cam shaft 28, ,driven through suitable gearing from the mechanism which drives the form bed 10, so that the shaft 28 rotates continuously and. in timed relation with the motions of the form bed. The lever 24: is provided also with a beveled sliding block 29, normally held downward by a spring 30 in the lever 2%. Attached to the cylinder 13 is a block 31, also beveled, the member 29 being arranged to extend into the path of block 31.

Referring now to Figs. 1, 4, 5, and 6, the method of operation of my novel sheet gaging device will be clear. In Figs. 1 and 1, the reciprocating and rotating cylinder 13 is moving to the left with the sheet grippers, hereafter to be described, open, and asheet placed on the feed board 16, has its edge against the gages 18. The block 31 moves against the beveled member 29 and pushes the latter upward against the pressure of the spring 30, allowing the block 31 to pass. Obviously this does not disturb the position of the gages 18, the motion given to the lever 24 by the block 31, if any, being away from the screw 23, and therefore, not disturbing the shaft 19 or the gages 18 thereon. When the cylinder 13.ha s reached the end of its motion to the left of Fig. 1, and starts to move toward theright as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the flat side of the block 31 will contact with the fiat side of the sliding n1em her 25, and the lever 24 will therefore, be moved to the right of Figs. 5 and 0. This carries the lever 24 against the screw 23, which, through the lever 21, swings the shaft 19, and with it the gages 18. Preferably, l proportion the members in such a way that the gages 18 do not start to move until exactly the instant that the sheet grippers re ferred to, engage the sheet, after which time the gages 18 move at a slightly faster rate than the sheet, so as not to interfere with it. At or before the time when the block 31 passes out of contact with the member 29, the cam 27 will have turned so that its high part is in contact with the rollerlfiti, thus preventing the gages 18 from falling back to their gaging position until after the sheet has passed, which time is determined by the arc of the high part of the cam 27. After the sheet has passed, the roller 26 runs down the cam 27, permitting the gages 1S to nfove into gaging position through the pressure of the spring 20, ready for the presentation of the next sheet. The screw 23. provides a means by which the. relation between the levers 24; andQI-may be regulated, thus positioning the gage shaft 19. In addition, each of the gages 18 is provided witlrindividual adjusting means, in the usual manner.

It is obvious that many other forms of mechanism may be used to enable the gages to be moved by the cylinder as the sheet is being taken and to prevent said gages from being disturbed as the cylinder is moving back toward the sheet. The block 31, may, if desired, be attached to any mechanism directly connected with the cylinder, so that it has at all times a fixed relation with the impression surface be made with a portion of the cylinder itself, thus doing away with the block It Will be obvious that the gage is swung away from the sheet at exactly the same point of travel of the sheet carrying surface of the cylinder, regardless of any defects in the mechanism by which the cylinder is moved.

The sheet taking means on the cylinder 13 Which I have chosen for illustration, are the usual grippers mounted on a shaft 2-53 to which is attached a cam lever 23 lcarrying a cam roller The grippers 313 a re normally held closed against the cylinder 13 by a spring 36 mounted on a rod 37. which is connected to a pair of toggle linlcs 38, one of which links is at iached to the cylinder at 39 and the other of which is connected to a lever .40 attached to the gripper shaft 3?). The spring 36 abuts against the member 40' connected to the cylinde and provided with a stem. 41, extending into a hollow in the rod 37.

Pivotally connected to the side frame of the machine at 4-2, is a cam 4-3 lying in the path of the roller 35, as the cylinder 13 rothereof, or contact may tates and reclprocates. Connected to the I he cam 4.3 is a cam fork 4t carrying a cam roller 45 running on a cam 46 mounted on the shaft 28. The cam 43 is soshaped and cam as is so'shapcd and timed, that as the cylinder 13 is moving to the left, as shown in Fig. 4, the cam 43 is in the full line position and the grippers 32 are opened and held open as the cylinder is coming to the end of its motion to the left. At about the time when the motionof the cylinder 13 is reversed, the cam roller 45 runs down from the high part of cam 46, thus permitting the position of Fig. 4-, and the full line position of Figs. 5 and (3. A stop i7 is provided to limit the motion of the cam 43 and to form a fixed abutment to hold the cam 43 in its operative position as the grippers 32 close. Now as the cylinder 13 moves to the right of Figs. 5 and (3, the -am roller runs down the cam 48 andpermits the grippers 32- to close on the sheet placed against the gages 18, these gages being arranged, preferably, as 1 have pointed out before, to swing out of the path of the sheet at the instant the grippers close on it. By the mechanism illustrated for opening and closing the grippers 32, l have provided a means by which the grippers will be held open to clear the edge of the sheet as the cylinder is moving to the left of Figs. 5 :nd ti rso that the position of the sheet against fhe gages 18 is in no wise disturbed. and ,by which the grippers will close by their ca'm roller running down what is in effect a fixed cam at the time such closing takes place, so that the gri ipers will close on each sheet at identically the same spot irrespective of the position and amount of motion which the cylinder 13 has to the left of Fig. 5 on its non-sheet taking stroke. and irrespective of any defects in the cam 46.

A fixed cam 4-8 is provided lingers 32 when the cylinder '13 has traveled to the right of Fig. 1 to permit the sheet to be taken by the delivery mechanism of the machine.

\Vhile. I have shown and described my novel sheet taking and sheet gaging device as applied to a n-iaclnne having a reciprocaling and rotating cylinder, it will be obvious that many features of my invention may be applied to any kind of a machine having a sheet carrier to which it-is desirable to feed sheets accurately and particularly to the. ordinary type. of printing press in which sheets are fed to a. continuously rotating cylinder.

to 'open the llaving now described my invention,what

l claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is as follows I 1. A rotating and reciprocating sheet car rying cylinder, sheet; grippers thereon, means to support a sheet in a position to be taken cam 43 to swing to the dotted line the path of said projection,

by said sheet grippers, a gage to position the sheet on said supporting means, a projection on said cylinder, a member connected with said gage and arranged to extend in said member and said projection being constructed and arranged to have yielding contact with each other when said cylinder is] moving in one direction, and non-yielding contact when the cylinder is moving in the opposite direction.

2. A rotating and reciprocating sheet carrying cylinder, sheet grippers thereon, means to support a sheet in a position to be taken by said sheet grippers, a gage to position the sheet on said supporting means, a projection on said cylinder, a member connected to said gage and constructed and arranged to be moved by said projection to move said gage when the said cylinder is moving in one direction only.

3. A rotating and reciprocating sheet caris'ying c linder, sheet grippers thereon,means to support a sheet in a position to be taken bv said sheet "'i'i))0lS a "a e to iosition' z: 7 a z:

the sheet on said supporting means, a projection on said cylinder, a member connected to said gage and constructetl and arranged to be moved by said projection to move said gage out oi the path of the sheet as it is lilhL'li by said sheet grippers, and means to hold said gage out of gaging position.

t. A rotating and reciprocating sheet carrying cylinder. sheet grippers tliereon, nieans to support a sheetiii a positipn to be tahen by said sheet grippers, a gage to position the sheet on said supporting means, a projection on said cylinder, a member connected to. saidgage and constructed and arranged to be moved by said projection to move said out of the path of the sheet as it is taken by said sheet grippers, a contimmnsly moving cam shaft and a cam thereon, connect ed to said gage, and constructed and arranged to hold said gage out of gaging position after said projection has moved out of contact with said member.

1 5. A reciprocating and rotating sheet carrying cylinder, sheet grippers thereon, a gage toposit-ion a sheet to be taken by said grippers, a shaft to support said gage, a member pivoted on said shaft and adjustably connected thereto and constructed and arranged to contact with said cylinder, said member being provided with a yielding device between said shaft and the point of contact with said cylinder, constructed'and arranged to permit said cylinder to move said gage when said cylinder is moving in one directiononly.

6. A reciprocating and rotating sheet carrying cylinder, sheet grippers thereon, a gage to position a sheet to be taken by said grippers, a shaft tosupport said gage, a first lever attached to said shaft and a second lever pivoted on said shaft and arranged to contact with said cylinder and to be moved thereby into contact with said first lever when said cylinder is moving in one direction and to be moved away from said first lever when said cylinder is moving in the opposite direction.

7. A reciprocating and rotating sheet carrying cylinder, sheet grippers thereon, a gage to position a sheet to be taken by said grippers, a shaft to support said gage, a first lever attached to said shaft and a second lever pivoted on said shaft and arranged to contact with said cylinder and to be moved thereby into contact with said first lever when said cylinder is moving in one direc- Lion and to be moved away from said first lever when said cylinder is moving' in the opposite direction, and adjusting niea as between said levers.

S. A reciprocating and rotating sheet carrying cylinder, sheet grippers thereon, a gage toposition a sheet to be taken by said grippers, a shaft to support said gage, a first lever attached to said shaft and a second lever pivoted on said shaft and arranged to contact with said cylinder and to be moved thereby into contact with said first lever hen said cylinder is moving in one direciioi and to be moved away from said first lc\er when said cylinder is moving in the opposite direction, said second member having a yielding member between said shaft and the point of contact between said sec ond lever and said cylinder.

9. A reciprocating and rotating sheet carrying cylinder, sheet grippers thereon, a gage to position a sheet to be taken by said grippers, a shaft to support said gage, a ii st lever attached to said shaft and a second lever pivoted on said shaft and arranged to contact with said cylinder and to be moved thereby into contact with said first lever when said cylinder is moving in one direction and to be moved away from said first lever when said cylinder is moving in the opposite direction, and means to hold said gage out of the path of the sheet after said gage has been moved by said cylinder.

RUFUS A. FREEMAN.

Witnesses:

' GEORGE F. QCULL,

WM. L. Foinsns, Jr. 

